


Fade Away

by harushinkai



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 13:26:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15752607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harushinkai/pseuds/harushinkai
Summary: The Original Chosen Children's Crests have stopped shining. Yolei, Cody and Ken's crests have fallen into the hands of the enemy. And the digital world is slowly fading into darkness. Can the DigiDestined stop this from happening before the digital world they once knew is gone?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so as a new writer, I don’t have much to say but I hope you will all enjoy my story. I also want to thank Broken Angel01 for the idea of Tai as a firefighter which I saw mentioned in her next gen fic, despite having not read it. So I’m not too proud of the Sorato scene but they’re both a little subtle so I feel that’s how it would be. Any tips are welcome though. Ages of the DigiDestined in my story are:  
> Tai, Matt and Sora: 23  
> Mimi and Izzy: 22  
> Joe: 24  
> Davis, Ken, TK and Kari: 19  
> Cody: 16  
> Yolei: 20

Chapter 01: Faded Crests

It had been seven years since the defeat of MaloMyotismon and the gang had mostly remained close and everyone had decided to come together for Tai’s soccer finale. If he won, he would be able to play in the International finale, something which he very much hoped for even if soccer was a side passion to his firefighting course. The group had been busy in their own lives because Matt had quit the band and was now working as a solo artist, Sora had begun a fashion designing course, Mimi was in America despite them keeping in touch with her regularly, Izzy had started a computer engineering course and Joe was well on his way to becoming a doctor. The younger group wasn’t much different.

Yolei was doing a psychology course because she wanted to help people with their darkness, much like she had helped Kari in their adventure. Kari had followed her dream and started a teaching course where she had reunited with Noriko, the two having become good friends since they were doing the same course. TK was doing short writing courses and writing smaller stuff at home, publishing it on blogs, no matter how much everyone said he was wasting his life away by not doing something proper. Davis, on the other hand, as boring as it was had started a Bachelor in Business Administration so he could make the marks to start his noodle cart business eventually. Ken was in his first year of Policing because in order to be Detective, he’d need to be a police officer first. Cody was still in his second last year of high school which was getting even more stressful because he was about to graduate in a year or two.

Needless to say, Tai had hassled everyone a few times to make time to come to this soccer match and everyone had promised they would try. Tai was just changing into his soccer gear when he took out his phone to check the time on his phone, his Crest of Courage falling out accidentally. A couple of months after the defeat of MaloMyotismon, Gennai had contacted Izzy and told them that the material crests had been able to be recovered. The Original DigiDestined had been glad at this and instantly gone to the digital world to retrieve them.

Unfortunately, as soon as they returned back from retrieving the crests, the ports had closed without warning and even the D-3s could not open them. Izzy had attempted to get the ports open but seven years had passed since then and no such luck. The DigiDestined had attempted to move forward with their lives but it wasn’t so easy and even though no one outright said anything they all missed the digimon deeply which was why the original DigiDestined kept their crests close while the younger ones did the same with their D-Terminals.

However, today when Tai’s Crest fell out of his bag, his eyes widened as his normally bright shining orange crest was a dull black right now. He didn’t understand why and what could have gone wrong now but the dull Crest made a chill run down his spine. They hadn’t been able to find a way into the Digital World for awhile – could something have gone wrong already? Before he could think much member, one of his team members Nori came inside.

“Hey Tai you ready to come out yet?” He asked softly.

Tai nodded. “Yeah I’ll be right out.” He shoved his Crest back in his bag and put in the corner of the locker room. He’d have to ask Izzy about it after the game. Agumon, please be alright. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.  
\--  
Kari had been finishing off some work for University but decided to leave it for tomorrow since she had a day off. Besides, she had promised her brother to attend his soccer match. Her hair had grown slightly longer and now touched her shoulders somewhat. She decided to wear her beautiful crest as a necklace as it was always a reminder of the special moments she shared with her best Digital Friend seven years ago.

As she reached to take it out though, a gasp left her lips as she saw the darkened crest. Something inside her heart clenched as it began beating way too fast for it to be considered normal. What could have gone wrong? Even through all her adventures, Gatomon had never lost her light – did that mean she had lost it? Kari knew she had been a little depressed lately but didn’t think it was enough to get her Crest to stop shining altogether.

Looking at the time again, she tugged her Crest under her shirt and headed out. That was a mistake though because as soon as she stepped out, her Crest tightened against her throat and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Coughing to try and get her breath back, her fingers clasped around the string of the Crest which she tugged at causing it to break and fall to the floor. The brunette coughed into her hand, clutching at her chest and wondered what on earth was going on.

The Crest is acting kind of strange…maybe I shouldn’t take it with me after all.

Kari wrapped it in some tissues and shoved it into her handbag and once she was stable enough, she began to head to the soccer game, hoping against hope that something wasn’t terribly wrong.  
\--  
Mimi was happy to be back in Japan. She had arrived last night and could not wait to surprise Tai at his soccer game. She had heard the whole team would be there so she’d really surprise them all. She wondered how much everyone had changed. She was still tired from the flight but she wanted to be there for the game as she had a rather soft spot for the goggleheaded boy since their first adventure but he had never seemed interest so she didn’t make it obvious. Touching up her make-up slightly, she headed to the field, seeing Tai and the others warming up. “Tai! Hey!”

Tai’s teammates all looked at each other. 

“Tai, that your girlfriend man?” Teruo, a teammate of Tai’s said. “She’s hot.” 

Mimi giggled at this especially since Tai flushed at the comment and this made her curious. Had she changed that much that she had made him speechless? She didn’t know but either way, she shook her head. Tai would never just go for her because she was pretty…he had more depth than that or she would have never fallen for him.

“No, she’s just a friend,” Tai finally replied before approaching her. “Hey Mimi I didn’t expect you to be here.” A small smile appeared on his face and his eyes brightened slightly.

Mimi smiled. “I wanted to surprise you! Are you ready for the match?”

Tai nodded and shrugged. “Yeah I guess…”

Mimi searched his face and realized he didn’t seem his usual upbeat self. She could tell he was happy she was here but something seemed to be bothering him. “Tai what is it? What’s wrong?”

Tai shook his head. “Nothing Mimi…sorry about Teruo. He’s a bit of an idiot.”

Mimi giggled at the apology. “Are you flustered at me being called your girlfriend?”

Tai turned slightly pink and raised an eyebrow, leaning close to her, so close that Mimi could feel his breath trickle her ear. “Should I be?”

Mimi’s own face flushed slightly pink and her heart skipped a beat. Okay, so her friend was sending her…some signals possibly or was he just flirting? He was a jock now, so either could be possible when it came to him. But two could play that game. “Well…” She twirled a lock of her brown hair, gazing innocently into his beautiful brown eyes. “I am irresistible…”

“Is that it, Princess?” Tai said coyly, pressing a soft kiss to her neck causing the brunette to gasp. He heard wolf-whistles behind him and suddenly pulled away, turning red and rubbing the back of his head. “Guys! Focus on the game! The match is about to start!”

“You two make a cute couple,” Nori teased.

Mimi was a little confused at Tai’s sudden pulling away. What did these signals mean? Did Tai like her or was he just messing around with her? She decided to push away those thoughts since he was her friend so he would never hurt her no matter what happened. She observed him trying to get his teammates away. “Tai? Are you sure something isn’t bothering you?”

Tai turned to him, rubbing the back of his head. “Well actually…” He didn’t have the chance to say just what was bothering him though as the game starting signal signed then. “I have to go! We’ll talk later!”

The brunette sighed and wished she could be more sincere with herself. She had always kept her feelings to herself since the first adventure because she felt Tai liked Sora. But now with Sora and Matt dating, she didn’t know how Tai felt about it. Given the fact that he seemed pretty normal around Matt, she guessed it didn’t bother him. Why can’t I just be honest with my own feelings? She wished she knew but all she knew was that when Tai pressed that kiss to her neck, her heart felt as if it would burst and she knew Tai had probably heard how fast her heart was beating. And he was clearly enjoying flirting with her…or maybe he was just teasing her. Gosh, this was too much thinking and she decided she’d talk to Sora about it.  
\--  
Matt placed a flower in Sora’s hair, one he had actually gotten from her flower shop and took her hand in his own. He had never been an expert on love and for a long time, he hadn’t realized his feelings for Sora had grown. They had always been friends but as she grew into a beautiful young woman with a heart of gold, he realized his feelings for her had surpassed friendship ages ago.

Sora blushed, a small smile gracing her features. “It’s beautiful, Matt.” Her heart skipped a beat at how much he always did for her.

“Not more than you,” The blond whispered in response, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear causing her to smile.

“Matt…you’re amazing,” Sora said softly. “I’m so lucky.” She wrapped her arms around him, leaning a bit to rest her head on his shoulder, since he was slightly taller than her.

“I’m the lucky one,” Matt replied, kissing her just below the earlobe causing her to shiver in slight pleasure. He knew they had to go to Tai’s soccer match as they had both promised him they’d be there but he’d risk being late because right now being in the arms of the woman he loved was a lot more beautiful than anything in the world. Everything else seemed insignificant. No one and nothing else mattered but the woman in his arms who could light up the whole world with her amazing smile.  
\--  
Izzy, being the smart one and the definite keeper of Knowledge as many would call him had noticed his Crest a few days ago and had immediately called Ken and Yolei over a bit before Tai’s soccer game was due to start. They were both smart as well, so he figured discussing this with them before anyone else would be the best idea so he had called them over.

“So Izzy what’s the big emergency?” Yolei asked as she sat down.

“My Crest has died,” Izzy told them both, showing it to them for confirmation sakes. “Ken, do you still have your Crest?”

Ken shook his head. “I gave it up to stop the reactor remember? But I don’t understand why the original crests have died. Your Crest was the Crest of Knowledge after all and you haven’t stopped trying to learn new things. In fact with your course, you’ve only learnt more and more things to be honest. I don’t really understand why the Crests have died to be honest.”

Izzy sighed. He didn’t understand it either. “I wish I could answer that…my only theory is something has gone wrong with the digital world but I can’t get a gate to open even with the D-3 so I’m not sure what to do. I was hoping you guys had some ideas to be honest because I’ve tried everything I can.” He didn’t like sounding so hopeless but he had tried everything he could, hacking, changing data, you name it and still had come with nothing. It was as if the digital world had been cut out from their lives, as if it were never there in the first place.

Ken and Yolei exchanged a glance, before the former quickly flushed and looked away.

“Do you feel that someone manipulated the data of the digital world itself?” Yolei asked curiously unsure of what to think about things right now.

“Is that even possible?” Ken said quietly. “I mean even when I built the Control Spires, it didn’t lock the gates and that changed the data of the digital world too remember?”

Izzy and Yolei both nodded, the former pondering this.

“I say we discuss this with the others and see if their crests have faded away as well,” Izzy said before checking the time. “Besides, Tai’s soccer game has already started and we should at least be there for some of it.”

Ken laughed at that. “I told Davis I’d be a little late anyway.”

Yolei huffed. “Davis is always late anyway! I have no idea how Kari is going to deal with that when they get married.”

Ken appeared puzzled at this and glanced at Yolei in confusion who flushed and turned away. Izzy hid a smile at this. He may act clueless but he did know Ken and Yolei felt something for one another even if the two didn’t realise it yet themselves.

“Come on,” Izzy said, packing his computer and burying his Crest somewhere in his computer bag. “Tai’s going to be disappointed if we don’t show up. And Ken? Can you make sure Davis does get there? I know Tai was really looking forward to him being there.”

Ken finally looked away from Yolei (who wasn’t looking at him after her slip of tongue) and nodded at Izzy, texting Davis. “I’ll make sure he gets there. Let’s head out.”  
\--  
Davis on the other hand was rushing to get to Tai’s soccer game because he was late as usual. It wasn’t his fault – it was Jun’s! Honestly, why that stupid girl always needed to start an argument at the wrong time when he had other things to worry about. He managed to just make it though at the same time as Kari who was sitting in the bleachers, looking worried about something.

“Hey what’s up?” Davis said, going and sitting next to her.

Kari looked up at him with a small smile. “You’re late.”

Davis huffed. “It was Jun’s fault! She started arguing with me about how her hair looked cause she was going on a date with Jim! I swear, that girl…sometimes I wish I was an only child!”

Kari laughed a small bit. “Jun cares about you a lot and I know you care about her too. Can’t you two try and get along?”

“She’s the one who always starts the fights!” Davis retorted and flushed as Kari raised her eyebrow at that. “Ok fine maybe I start some of them too…but only some of them.”

Kari sighed. “Oh Davis...”

Davis shrugged. He knew he and Jun got into a lot of fights but it was just the way they were. When the battle of MaloMyotismon had been ongoing, he knew Jun was worrying over him from what his Mom and Dad had told him but now that things were okay, anyway Kari seemed worried about something and why was her neck red? “Kari, what happened to your neck?”

Kari tensed a bit, averting her gaze to the floor. “Nothing.”

“Kari…” Davis said, crossing his arms. “Look, we’ve been friends for a long time and I know when something’s wrong and something’s wrong so what’s wrong?”

Kari shivered a bit, biting her lower lip. “My Crest…it won’t shine anymore, Davis. And I tried to put it around my neck since I always wear it as a necklace and it tightened around it trying to choke me. It’s in my bag right now but I had to cut apart the strings…” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know what to think. I…I haven’t lost my light have I?”

Davis listened to her and pulled her into a hug. In many ways, Kari reminded him of Ken. Both of them were way too hard on themselves and took too much responsibility of things that weren’t really their fault ultimately. “I don’t buy it for a minute that you’ve lost your light. When the darkness is at it’s peak, Kari, your light shines through the darkness. You’re the light that wards off the darkness and I know…you can still brighten me up and bring a smile to my face no matter what mood I’m in and I’m sure the others feel the same.”

Kari buried her face in Davis’s shoulder, a few tears rolling down her cheek even though his words brought her comfort. Did she really make him feel like that? “Thank you Davis…I just wish I knew what was wrong.”

Davis stroked her hair, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he comforted her and was glad Kari’s face was hidden in his shoulder so she couldn’t see his face. Why was he feeling like this? Why was his heart beating so fast all of a sudden? He had told himself he had gotten over the beautiful woman in his arms – she liked T.K. so he didn’t stand a chance and he had come to terms with that awhile ago and stopped being so jealous of his two friends. Then why was his heart skipping a beat now? Ignoring this, he focused on Kari’s words. “We’ll talk to Izzy about it, maybe he knows something.” He then quickly pulled away from her. “Anyway, we should get back to the game.” 

“Davis?” Kari said puzzled. “Are you…?”

“Yeah I’m fine,” Davis quickly cut her off. “We’ll focus on this after the game ok?” He moved to sit down just as Izzy, Ken and Yolei came in, leaving Kari staring at him in surprise.  
\--  
Cody and TK were walking towards Tai’s soccer match together and Cody appeared puzzled by the information his DNA partner had told him.

“And your Crest stopped shining?” Cody confirmed.

TK nodded quickly. “Yeah I looked at it this morning and it was completely dull.” Something which made his heart sink in his chest. Losing Patamon was a wound that had never really healed to be honest and it probably never would and the fact that his amazing partner might have lost hope sent shivers down his spine. Mainly because Patamon was more optimistic than he was. It was Patamon who believed they’d see each other again after the first adventure when he had been crying his eyes out at the fact that they had to separate.

“That is odd,” Cody mused. “Sure, you’ve grown up TK but you still always encourage all of us to follow our dreams so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your hope…I wish I could say this with the same certainty for our digimon though.”

“Me too,” TK agreed with a sigh. “I really don’t want to lose Patamon again.” They had finally arrived at the soccer game which had already started. His brother and Sora weren’t there yet, neither was Joe but Davis, Kari, Ken, Izzy and Yolei were there already. So was…wow was that Mimi? She sure had changed from the second adventure. Her hair now went down to her waist, curly and brown and she had grown taller and definitely yes…more attractive, but not moreso than Kari.

He wasn’t sure what his feelings for Kari were. He cared about her and thought the two of them definitely had something between them but Kari so silent about her feelings that he could never tell what she was really thinking unless she told him what she was feeling. However, pushing that aside, he went to join his friends and sat with them. “Hey guys.”

“Hey TK,” Yolei said smiling a bit. “Looks like we all got a little late huh? Hey Kari, is Noriko coming?”

Kari shook her head. “She’s still a bit uncomfortable with the whole group considering everything that happened and all. Besides, we all made it to the match. TK, isn’t Matt coming?”

TK sighed. “He had a date with Sora so the two of them will probably come together.” He glanced at Mimi who was having some conversation with Izzy in a serious tone and wondered what the two of them were talking about. Maybe they had noticed about the crests too? Izzy probably had, knowing him and was telling Mimi about it. He sighed, leaning back into his seat and turning to watch the game. Somehow, his gut feeling said something wasn’t right in the digital world and that he would be seeing Patamon again real soon. I just hope he’s alright when I do see him again…  
\--  
Joe knew Tai would be disappointed. He had missed all his friend’s calls and only sent a text that he wasn’t coming. He did feel a little guilty considering Tai had really wanted him to be there but he couldn’t. Medical School was getting tougher and if he ever wanted to really be a doctor, he had to work hard. Not that I’ll be able to become one…my scores are never even close to the top ten. Of course he had never told his friends this because they’d just encourage him that he could do it even if deep inside they knew otherwise. Gomamon would probably do that too.

His thoughts drifted to his partner as he put his pencil down and wished the little guy was here. He always knew what to say to make him feel better and Gomamon was a horrible liar. He knew if the digimon said he could do it, he’d honestly believe it too. But he knew, right now even Gomamon would think he was in over his head. His phone rang again and he almost was ready to press the cancel button when he saw it was Sora calling and sighed. He answered it.

“Yes, Sora?” Joe said softly.

“Matt and I are almost at Tai’s game,” Sora spoke into the phone. “Are you sure you can’t come? Not even for a few minutes?”

“I’m sorry Sora,” Joe said sighing a bit. “I wish I could but I have an exam tomorrow and really can’t focus on taking a break right now.”

There was a pause before he heard Sora sigh a small bit. “Alright, well you know we’re all rooting for you to become a doctor but please don’t push yourself too hard. You are eating and sleeping aren’t you?”

Joe couldn’t help but laugh at that. It was so like Sora to make sure he wasn’t overworking himself, they didn’t call her the Team Mom for nothing. “Yes, Sora, I’m making sure I eat and sleep.” For the most part…He had been neglecting his health a bit but Sora didn’t need to know that part since he hadn’t crashed…yet. Plus she would just worry, tell Tai and gather a team confrontation like the last time he had gotten too depressed. They had even brought Mimi on video call from America! Honestly, he loved how much his friends cared but even they couldn’t do anything about the failure he’d become.

“That’s good then,” Sora said, sighing in relief. “Take care of yourself ok Joe?”

“I will,” Joe promised. “Thanks Sora. You and Matt have fun at Tai’s game. Bye.” He hung up and put his head on the table. I’m sorry Tai. You deserve a better friend than me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on the digimon in the digital world and how things are there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there. Okay, thank you for the amazing reviews on the first chapter. I really appreciate the reviews I've gotten and hope you lovely amazing people keep reading with how hard I'm trying for this story. This chapter focuses on the digimon and I've tried to give them all their individual personalities which was not easy, given the show didn't give them all that much.

Chapter 02: Loss of Spirit

Agumon couldn't believe they had all gotten separated from one another as he ran from a dark digimon. None of them knew who this enemy was and where he had come from but he had struck terror within the digital world as had never been seen before and many digimon had been captured under it already. It called itself The Hollow and looked neither human nor digimon in appearance. Word was going around that it wanted Omnimon and Imperialdramon under it's control, so the twelve chosen digimon had tried to keep Agumon, Gabumon, Veemon and Wormmon well-hidden although that idea quickly went down the drain when a willing minion of The Hollow, HiMachineDramon levelled the whole city leading them to scatter.

Agumon was currently being chased by Chrysalimon and Dracmon although he knew he stood no chance against Chrysalimon without digivolving. Tai where are you? Things had gone downhill in the digital world and were worse than they had ever been. Even their former allies had turned against them in fear of going against The Hollow so all the twelve Chosen digimon had was each other and now even they had been separated. However, the yellow dinosaur could no longer run, his legs giving away as he collapsed to the ground. Even if he had the strength, was there any point in continuing to fight? Without his human partner, he was an easy target.  
I have to get up. I have to get up or I'll be captured by them and if Gabumon and I are captured...then the Digital World is doomed. With these thoughts in mind, Agumon tried to force his legs to work and to stand up and fight but before he could, fangs sunk into the side of his neck and he cried out, trying to throw Dracmon off but didn't have the strength as he felt digital blood seeping from his wound. His vision swam before his eyes before everything went black.  
\--  
"Gabumon help me!" Biyomon cried as she was grabbed by BlackGrowlmon and squirmed but soon fell limp due to another digimon that had come forward. Gabumon and Biyomon had been together but they had somewhat scattered. When Biyomon was captured though, Gabumon had heard her cries but not gone out to help. He was hidden in a small cave and it was only a matter of time before he knew he would be found. Biyomon's screams hurt and he knew as her friend, he should go and help her but there was nothing he could do.

If he went out there to help and he got caught, it would be worse than Biyomon getting caught. Even with this logical explanation, his heart wavered but he pushed it aside. His friend would forgive him and understand. He moved deeper into the cave, his heart still trembling at the thought that he had been there and he should have helped but he hadn't.

So much for being the Digimon of Friendship A voice taunted in his head that sounded way too much like Matt for his liking. His heart sunk even more. What would Matt have said if he knew that he had abandoned one of his dear friends and the partner of Matt's girlfriend, just so he wouldn't be hurt or captured as well?  
He knew it was wrong but he had been scared - he hadn't wanted to be captured and used against his own home? He didn't want to be used like a toy because if this Hollow got its hands on him, there would be no mercy. Biyomon and the others may survive but he knew he definitely would not and that was a fact that even Matt wouldn't deny if he ever came to this world.

Biyomon sunk to her knees in a dark, dim-lit dungeon with only one candle lighting up the entire room. Tears fell down her cheeks. Gabumon hadn't gotten that far from her had he? She wished he had come to save her because she had been terrified when BlackGrowlmon had gotten a hold of her. They had all gotten separated but they all still cared about each other right? She didn't know anymore because back then, she had a feeling Gabumon wasn't too far and still he hadn't saved her and what she didn't understand was why?

I thought we all loved each other...but first we split up and now we're not even helping each other...I don't understand...have we drifted that far apart? Her eyes welled up with tears and for not the first time, she found herself missing Sora more than anything because she knew if her partner was here, there was no way she'd ever abandon her, no matter how scared of the consequences she was.

Her heart hurt at the thought that she was all alone. None of the other digimon cared - there was nothing she had left now and it hurt. Burying her head in her feathers, she silently began to cry, weary not to make too much noise because she knew she would not be shown mercy, none so at all.  
\--

Gomamon pulled his head out of the water, shivering a small bit. He knew he should have lead the others to this and he might have if this much chaos hadn't broken out but right now, going and looking for them was suicide and besides, once he reached Joe, he'd be able to work things out. He always had come through for him before even when things appeared to be too hopeless and he hoped it would be the same now. He wasn't the Digimon of Hope but he had to believe right now. He couldn't help the others if he didn't survive first. Slowly, he swam deeper and deeper until he found it. It was a small glowing object which had the symbol of Miracles on it. Somehow, he had a feeling that this would lead him to his friend.

Am I being selfish going on my own? I should find the others...make sure they're safe...but is there a point? I can't really save them anymore not on my own...gosh I sound as pessimistic as Joe. But with the situation...man I don't even know what I want. I'm tired of running though and I just want to sleep. Joe and the others can figure something out.

With that thought last in his mind, he grabbed hold of the crest or at least that was what it looked like and the whole ocean lit up. Gomamon could hear the sound of a voice singing...a female voice that almost sounded soothing. That was the last thing he heard before the ocean disappeared from his sight and he fell through, landing on something hard.

"Gomamon?!" Joe's panicked voice instantly put the little rookie at ease and relaxed that he was in safe hands now, he passed out.  
\--

Palmon didn't know whether she was lucky or unlucky although she did know one thing and that was the fact that she was definitely doing a lot better than her friends were. She had seen Biyomon and Agumon being dragged in and while her heart bled for her friends, she knew if she spoke up, she'd meet the same fate and then she would be useless to them. She didn't like this at all though.

Whilst she had managed to gather a perfect disguise with help from Monzaemon that made her hard to be recognised because she looked like her evil counterpart Aruraumon, who was known to be follower of evil digimon before them such as Daemon so she fit in perfectly. The plant digimon had managed to get in on a good note with The Hollow, no matter how much her entire body trembled anytime she was in the same room with him. The darkness in that creature made her feel as if she were being crushed and she could no longer find a way out of it.

However, as she saw Agumon being beaten by other digimon that were much bigger and stronger, she wanted to rush out and save him but held herself back, turning her head away. Her friend's screams were painful to hear and it was hard not to tremble at his pain but there was nothing she could do. Her wants would have to wait because her dying would not help anyone. Her eyes welled up with tears but she quickly pushed them aside as she was called inside the main room by The Hollow. A black cloak around his shoulders, purple claw-like hands and two round yellow eyes were all that could be seen of the creature.

"Yes Master?" Palmon said, attempting to keep her voice chipper which admittedly took a lot of effort.

"Bring me Agumon," A cold voice spoke. "I may not have Gabumon but I can start experimenting on the first half of what makes Omnimon. He'll be broken enough by now."

A chill ran down Palmon's spine but she managed a nod. "Consider it done." Forgive me, Agumon.  
\--  
Tentomon coughed as he was thrown roughly into the cage next to Biyomon and did not struggle at first. He knew he had taken a leaf out of Agumon's book and been impulsive but how could he not? Saving your friends was logical wasn't it? He didn't know anymore but all he had done was rush at the enemy without thinking of the consequences. He knew it wasn't smart but what was the smart thing to do? Let your friends get captured? He didn't know what to believe anymore.  
Izzy what would you have done? Would you have saved yourself so you could come up with a smarter plan to help all your friends? Or would you have acted in the same manner as me?

Even though he had been caught, what worried him more was Agumon being caught especially when one of The Hollow's minions Aruraumon appeared carrying an obviously weakened Agumon back outside somewhere. This worried him. What were they going to do with Agumon? He forced himself up, sending his attack at the bars of the cage but it had no effect and just fizzled out into the floor, causing him to sigh. He should have expected it. What had happened to his brain? It was as if something was blocking his ability and he had no idea what to do about that. He hoped those of them who hadn't been caught wouldn't be because otherwise they may never get out of this...  
\--

"Patamon!" Gatomon cried, kneeling besides her hamster like friend as he suddenly collapsed, beginning to let out whimpering noises. Unsure of what to do without getting them caught, she simply pulled her friend into her arms. "Pata? Pata, what is it?"

Patamon coughed, whimpering. "I feel like someone is shredding my heart...it hurts Gatomon, I want TK..."

Shredding his heart? That made no sense...

A painful scream left Patamon as he thrashed around, as if something invisible were choking him. He gasped, struggling to breath even as evil digimon surrounded them. Gatomon's eyes widened and she picked Patamon up, beginning to run so they both wouldn't be captured but a laser attack shot at them causing the orange hamster to go flying out of her arms. The feline digimon let out a sound of frustration, wishing she could just become Angewomon and push all these evil digimon away.

"Give up, Gatomon," A very familiar voice said and Gatomon froze. No way, it couldn't be - why was he attacking them? She turned, her eyes beginning to narrow as she realised it was. In a blue robe that was much different to the white one he usually wore, standing before her was Gennai. The look in his eyes was not his warm, friendly one that they had seen before.

"I-I don't understand," Gatomon stammered even as Patamon let out another moan of pain. "I thought we were allies." Her eyes drifted to the Centarumon next to Gennai and realised he did not look like his normal friendly self either.

"Not anymore, Gatomon," Gennai said somberly. "I'm afraid Hope has turned into Despair and the Chosen digimon right now are the biggest threat to The Hollow. Thus, your journey ends here." Before Gatomon could even move to defend herself, Gennai threw disc-like objects at the ground, which exploded.

"No!" Gatomon attempted to run to Patamon and barely managed to push him out of the way, otherwise that disk would have turned them both into bits of data. I can't believe it. Gennai...betraying us? Betraying the DigiDestined? If Gennai can betray us, does that mean our human partners can as well? She didn't want to believe it - but she couldn't believe a dear friend such as Gennai who had always tried to help them so much had just tried to kill them. She didn't know - she didn't understand - was anything real? Before she could ponder on this too much though, Gennai seemed to have realised her and Patamon were alive. That was when she realised.  
In order to survive, she couldn't stop holding herself back. Patamon was in pain and their partners weren't going to come to their rescue this time - they were on their own, no she was on her own. Patamon was useless in this condition - if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. That was the principal she had lived by before she had met Kari and it seemed she would have to go back to that again if she wanted to survive. Pushing back all emotions, her gaze hardened, a dark aura beginning to flicker as she lunged with claws out, slicing through Centarumon's data as if it were nothing. Centarumon's data flickered out and Gatomon turned to glower at Gennai.

"Do you want to be next?" A cold, almost foreign voice left Gatomon's lips that even she, herself didn't recognise. It seemed as if Gennai got the message though and vanished from there.  
\--

Veemon winced as the cold, hard whip bore down his back and could feel the digital blood seeping through and he coughed. He and Wormmon had been captured by some unfriendly digimon who wanted to gain a good name with The Hollow and right now, pain surged through him and he was screaming as if he never had before. He wanted to dedigivolve and be in Davis's warm embrace, protected from the cruelties of these evil digimon who only wanted to break them before sending them to The Hollow to gain their rewards in return.

When had the digital world become so selfish? Digimon that were meant to be their friends had even turned their back on them. The Hollow was gaining more and more support day by day with the fear it was inflicting in the hearts of the digimon. Had courage completely died from this world? The meaning of loyalty to a friend, was it really completely shattered? It had been so easy to shatter. If Davis was in this world and he saw the condition, would he have switched sides too?  
No, never. Davis would never abandon me, no matter what.

He felt bad for even doubting his friend as he breathed raggedly but wished the torture would stop because he wanted to check on Wormmon. While he had been treated horribly and his normally blue body right now was so red with digital blood that his form was hardly recognisable, Wormmon had it much worse because he was considered a 'traitor' who had helped bring the Digimon Emperor down and was punished much worse for that.

His own eyes closed as he was thrown back roughly to the ground and managed to grab his small crate of water which wasn't much and took a tiny sip from it before shifting over to Wormmon, whose data was flickering and his eyes were opening and closing.

"Wormmon," Veemon managed, his own voice hoarse and tired from the beating he had endured. "Please...have this water."

Wormmon lay on the cold dungeon grounds, digital blood coating his tiny body as he let out shaky breaths. He had never before cared if the digital world - or at the very least dark digimon considered him a 'traitor' amongst them and never regretted helping Ken find his way back to the light through his sacrifice. But being thrown around now by these dark digimon made him wonder how much longer he would survive. He had accepted being pushed around by Ken because in order to guide him, he needed to be by his side. But...being pushed around constantly like this seemed to be a part of his life now.

Ken had been cruel but he hadn't starved him or taken away his main needs. He would provide him with food and water...despite constantly beating on him. How these digimon could be so heartless was beyond him just because he was labeled as the traitor. They feed on your helplessness because they know you won't go anywhere. Ken did as well. He knew he could hurt you and you would never leave. Kindness is only an illusion...Ken still knows, even if he goes back to being the Digimon Emperor, he can treat you however he wants.

No! That wasn't true. Ken wasn't that person anymore and he had never meant to hurt him. He knew that. Ken was very kind and considerate to him but if he is, then why hasn't he felt anything? Why hadn't he felt that Wormmon was in danger and come to save him? If he cared so much, where was he? Why wasn't he here? If he cared enough, he should have found a way to open the portal and see the hell that the digital world had become. He should have gathered him in his arms and stood tall against The Hollow who had made all their lives miserable.

His thoughts were distracted as a very weak Veemon only took a tiny sip from his own crate of water and handed the rest to him. He didn't understand...why was Veemon being so kind? Was this kindness an illusion as well? He didn't know but he drank down all the water, because it would give him the strength to go on just a little longer.  
\--  
Armadillomon whimpered, burying himself further under the ground. He couldn't dig as well as Digmon could but he just wanted these evil digimon to stay away. He wasn't as brave as Veemon, or as hopeful as Patamon, or as resourceful as Gatomon. He didn't even have Hawkmon's ability to remain calm in harsh situations or Wormmon's opinion that kindness would get them through even the darkest of times. He wasn't like his friends - he wasn't good enough to stand tall against the enemy, without Cody at least.

All he was and all he had always been was the comic relief, the one to crack a joke when things became dark, the one to lighten the mood when fights broke out between members. But now when they were all separated, he was at a loss of what he could do so he had dug a hole and buried himself underground, covering it from the top so no one would ever find him. It was cowardice but he had no idea where his friends had gone off to and even if he did, he probably would get himself and them into more trouble.

Cody please come soon...I'm useless without you.  
\--  
Lunamon was not one of the DigiDestined digimon, at least not one of the main twelve. However, being the digivolved partner of Noriko Kawada, she felt it her duty to do her best to help them as much as she could. Not having much experience with fighting herself, she had the skill of being able to blend within crowds without creating too much chaos. It was how she had survived this far and how she had managed to bring an ill Hawkmon to her hideout within the bushes.  
Being a natural caretaker, she tended to him as he seemed to have caught a common cold possibly from running around in this scorching heat. She didn't know if Noriko would ever find her way to the digital world but even if she didn't, she herself wanted to be of some help to the Chosen digimon. Laying Hawkmon by the fire, she silently ate some fruits as he coughed in his sleep and wondered if she would wake him so he could eat something, take some herbs to make him feel better and then go back to resting. Thinking this was a good idea, she moved to his side and gently shook him.

"Hey, wake up," Lunamon said gently and Hawkmon opened his eyes, cheeks flushed and coughing weakly.

"H-hey...where am I?" Hawkmon asked, trying to sit up but was unable to due to limited strength.

"I found you in the dessert," Lunamon admitted. "You're one of the chosen digimon aren't you? Yolei Inoue's partner if I remember correctly?"

Hawkmon's eyes seemed to dull a bit. "I guess...I used to be back then...I'm not sure what I am anymore, other than a target to be used..."

Lunamon's heart clenched seeing the helplessness in his eyes and wished there was something she could do but she pushed the thought aside. It wasn't right for him to lose faith in his human partner like this. She may have barely known Noriko but she believed her partner would come and she knew they weren't as close as Yolei and Hawkmon were, because those two had shared an adventure together. If he wasn't sick, she might have hit him for sounding so hopeless but even now, her eyes narrowed sternly.

"How can you lose faith in your partner like that?" Lunamon said harshly, ignoring the voice in her head that said she was coming on too strong for a digimon that was sick and probably very tired. Sometimes, a little tough love was needed. "Has Yolei ever abandoned you before? If she hasn't, why do you think she would now?"  
"What else am I supposed to think?" Hawkmon said, looking away so Lunamon wouldn't see his eyes water slightly. "Whenever I was in trouble before, she'd come to my aid right away...now it's been four whole months since The Hollow started wreaking havoc and there's no sign of Yolei. There's no sign of anyone of them...why? How am I supposed to believe in anything anymore?"

Lunamon sighed, rolling her eyes at the bird digimon missing the obvious. "Have you ever thought maybe she can't get here? Maybe she wants to more than anything but the person who guided them to the digital world or at least assisted them there is no longer on their side. Have you and the chosen digimon been sleeping this entire time?!" Her voice had raised without meaning to but she hated a defeatist attitude. Heck, she hadn't even fought a real battle with Noriko yet and still she believed if they worked together, they would stand somewhat of a chance against this creep. But not alone. Her and Noriko weren't nearly experienced enough to be able to even survive a battle alone but working with the other twelve DigiDestined, she felt they stood a chance.

Hawkmon winced at her tone, holding his head. "W-what are you talking about? I-I really have no idea."

This did surprise Lunamon and she sighed. No wonder he felt so hopeless.

"Sorry..." Lunamon murmured. "I thought you of all digimon would know that Gennai and his counterparts are no longer our allies. They're working with The Hollow." She had been devastated when she had found this out but if the Chosen Twelve didn't know about this, it's no wonder they felt helpless against whatever was happening.

"W-what?!" Hawkmon cried. "Are you sure about this Lunamon? Why would Gennai betray us?"

Lunamon shook her head sadly. "I'm not sure. That's a question even I can't answer. Either way, you need to restore your energy." She passed him a crate of fruits. "Have some of these so I can give you some herbal medicine to help you recover from your cold...I'm sorry I was so harsh. I thought you guys already knew." Guilt seeped inside her but she pushed it aside, passing over the crate to Hawkmon who managed a nod, slowly beginning to nibble on the fruit. After a few minutes of nibbling, Hawkmon sent Lunamon a grateful smile.

"Thank you," Hawkmon said softly.

Lunamon smiled. "My pleasure."


End file.
